Device for delivering a medium

ABSTRACT

In a device for delivering a medium, especially tire sealant, which is to be delivered by means of a compressor (P) from a container to a tire, wherein the compressor can be connected by a pipeline ( 9 ) to the tire and a connection ( 10 ) to the container emerges into this pipeline ( 9 ), the pipeline ( 9 ) has a constriction ( 27 ) upstream from the tire.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to German Patent Application Serial No.102014113837.6, which was filed on 24 Sep. 2014, and the entiredisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The invention concerns a device for delivering a medium, especially tiresealant, which is to be delivered by means of a compressor from acontainer to a tire, wherein the compressor can be connected by apipeline to the tire and a connection to the container emerges into thispipeline.

BACKGROUND

From DE 10 2004 042 911 A1 there is known a device for transporting agas from a pressure space, especially for delivering a sealant from thiscontainer to a tire of a vehicle and for pumping up the tire. Acompressor can be connected to the sealant container disclosed therein.This compressor can also be fashioned as a membrane compressor, whichcompresses air present in the sealing container in order to forcesealant out from the sealant container.

Furthermore, there is known from WO 2010/066448 a device for delivery ofa gas from a pressure space, especially for delivery of a sealant fromthis container to a tire of a vehicle and/or for pumping up the tire,wherein a piston can move in oscillation in the pressure space. Thepiston is also coordinated with a gear element, which transforms arotating movement of the drive shaft of a drive unit into an oscillatingmovement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to simplify andimprove such known devices for the delivery of a gas from a pressurespace and for transporting of a medium.

The solution of the problem is achieved, on the one hand, in that thepipeline has a constriction upstream from the tire.

In a preferred sample embodiment, this constriction is similar to aVenturi nozzle. This means that a pressure increase or acceleration ofthe gas flow occurs in the pipeline. This creates an increased intakeflow in the suction pipeline for the medium being delivered, especiallythe tire sealant, which ensures that the tire sealant is sucked morequickly and completely out from the corresponding container andtransported onward, especially being taken to a tire. Of course, thescope of the invention includes any constriction which leads to anacceleration of the gas flow in the pipeline. The Venturi nozzleconfiguration is only one sample embodiment.

In a preferred sample embodiment of the invention, the connection to thetank for the medium being transported does not simply emerge into thepipeline, but rather the corresponding feed line for the medium extendsalong the gas flow pipeline. This occurs in trunk-like manner. Thisfurther improves the delivery of the medium to the gas flow.

The aforementioned device is further improved in that pipeline andconnection are combined into a valve unit, which can be connected inbayonet fashion to the compression chamber. In the past, this “cylinderhead” amounted to a major problem, since it consists of many individualparts and has many seals. According to the present invention, on theother hand, it is formed as a single piece, and preferably it is made ofplastic. It is furthermore designed such that it can be connected inbayonet fashion to the compression chamber. That it, it is mounted onthe compression chamber, turned slightly, and enters into a removableconnection with the compression chamber or with the cylinder in whichthe compression chamber is situated.

For this simple invention, the compression chamber has a top collarmolded on it, having a locking device enabling a bayonet-like connectionto the valve unit. For this, the collar has a locking device withdifferent configurations at its circumference. One configuration ensuresthat the valve unit with corresponding moldings, which likewise in turnallow a bayonet connection, can be mounted on the collar. The moldingson the valve unit have hooks which reach underneath the collar when thevalve unit is turned. The rotary movement is then limited by an end stopon the collar.

Preferably according to the present invention, yet another seal isprovided between valve unit and compression chamber. In one preferredsample embodiment, this seal has the shape of a disk and is pressed bythe valve unit or a corresponding molding when the valve unit is mountedagainst an outlet opening for pressurized gas from the compressionchamber. The disk-like seal is flexible, so that pressurized gas can inparticular force up the edges of the seal and thus get into the deliverypipeline. If, on the other hand, air is being taken in, the sealhermetically closes off the opening to the compression chamber.

In another embodiment of the invention, the seal has a shuttlecockconfiguration and has a ball with which the opening to the compressionchamber is closed. Under the pressure of the pressurized gas from thecompression chamber, the shuttlecock is lifted, being flexibly bracedagainst corresponding webs.

But the present invention also and in particular pertains to thecompressor and improving its mode of operation. The compressor here hasa motor, which is eccentrically connected via a power takeoff gear to apiston rod, which moves a piston in the compression chamber. Accordingto the invention, the power takeoff gear has a transmission gearinserted upstream from it. Transmission gear and power takeoff gear areso attuned to each other that a different power transmission can occurdepending on which toothings are engaged. For this, it is provided thatthe power takeoff gear consists of two half gears, lying one against theother. Each half gear has a toothing, but not extending over the entirecircumference, and instead only extending for a predetermined radianmeasure. In the preferred sample embodiment this radian measure is 180°.

The transmission gear on the other hand consists of two gears situatedone on top of the other, interacting in alternation with one or theother half gear of the power takeoff gear. One gear has a largerdiameter than the other gear. The gear with the smaller diameter canapply a greater force to the power takeoff gear than the gear with thelarger diameter. Therefore, the gear with the smaller diameter engageswith the corresponding toothing of the power takeoff gear when air needsto be compressed in the compression chamber.

On the other hand, if air is merely being taken in, the gear with thelarger diameter engages with the toothing of the power takeoff half gearcoordinated with it.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further benefits, features and details of the invention will emerge fromthe following description of preferred sample embodiments and also withthe help of the drawing; this shows

FIG. 1, a perspective view of a compressor according to the invention;

FIG. 2, a top view of the compressor of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3, a partly represented view of the compressor of FIG. 2 looking inthe X direction;

FIG. 4, a perspective view of the interworking of a transmission gearwith a power takeoff gear;

FIG. 5, an exploded representation of an arrangement of compressionchamber and valve unit according to the invention;

FIG. 6, a perspective view of the compression chamber of FIG. 5 withvalve unit mounted;

FIG. 7, a partly represented longitudinal section through thearrangement of a sample embodiment of compression chamber with mountedvalve unit similar to FIG. 6;

FIG. 8, a perspective view of the longitudinal section of FIG. 7 inanother embodiment;

FIGS. 9 to 12, longitudinal sections of another sample embodiment of acompression chamber with mounted valve unit and piston rod driven like aconnecting rod in various positions of use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to FIG. 1, a compressor P according to the invention has amotor 1, which is cooled by a fan 2. On a motor shaft not otherwiseshown there sits a transmission gear 3, which interacts with a powertakeoff gear 4.

The power takeoff gear 4 is eccentrically connected to a piston rod 5,which moves a piston 6 (FIG. 3) in a compression chamber 7. Mounted onthis compression chamber 7 is a valve unit 8, which has a pipeline 9 toa tire, for example, and a connection 10 to a container for tiresealant, for example.

The mode of operation of this compressor is as follows:

The transmission gear 3 is placed in rotary motion by the motor 1 andtransfers its rotary motion to the power takeoff gear 4. This, in turn,moves the piston rod 5 in the compression chamber 7, as is shown inparticular in FIGS. 9 to 12. In this way, air is forced from thecompression chamber 7 into the valve unit 8 and into the pipeline 9.Then, across the connection 10, a medium, especially a tire sealant, iseither sucked out from a not otherwise shown container or forcedadditionally into the pipeline 9 and thus brought for example into atire being sealed.

A portion of the present invention pertains to an improvement of thepower transmission of the power of the motor 1 to the piston rod 5 orthe piston 6. It is known that more power is needed for compressing theair in the compression chamber 7 than when sucking new air into thecompression chamber. In order to deal with this power relationship,preferably both the transmission gear 3 and the power takeoff gear 4 aredesigned as two-part. The transmission gear 3 consists of two gears 11and 12, lying one against the other and having a congruent opening 13 toreceive a motor shaft. Moreover, the gear 11 also has a larger diameterthan the gear 12.

The power takeoff gear 4 consists of two halves 4.1 and 4.2. Each halfis occupied by a toothing 14.1 and 14.2. Each toothing 14.1 and 14.2extends over only one half circle of the particular power takeoff halfgear 4.1 and 4.2, while the other half is free of toothing. Here aswell, it is provided that the power takeoff half gear 4.2 with thetoothing 14.2 has a larger diameter than the power takeoff half gear 4.1with the toothing 14.1. The gear 12 with the smaller diameter interactswith the power takeoff half gear 4.2 with the larger diameter, while thegear 11 with the larger diameter interacts with the power takeoff halfgear 4.1 with the smaller diameter. As soon as the gear 12 with thesmaller diameter engages with the toothing 14.2 of the power takeoffhalf gear 4.2, the transmission ratio can therefore apply a greaterforce, so that this engaged state is preferred when a larger force needsto be acting on the piston 6 during the compressing. When the piston 6returns to suctioning of new air into the compression chamber 7, thegear 11 with the larger diameter is then in engagement with the toothing14.1 of the power takeoff gear 4.1 with the smaller diameter.

A further notion of the invention pertains to the arrangement of valveunit and compression chamber. In FIGS. 5 and 6 a valve unit 8.1 is shownwhich is mounted on a compression chamber 7.1 in bayonet fashion. Forthis, the compression chamber 7.1 has a collar 15, which is providedwith a locking element. This locking element surrounds a connectionopening 16 between valve unit 8.1 and compression chamber 7.1. Nextcomes a shoulder 18 on a deep indentation 17, adjoined by an end stop19.

The valve unit 8.1, in turn, has at least one vane 20, from which ahook-like molding 21 projects downward. For the assembly process, thevalve unit 8.1 is placed on top of the collar 15, while the molding 21travels across the deep indentation 17. Now the valve unit 8.1 is turnedrelative to the annular collar 15, so that the hook-like molding 21travels across the shoulder 18 and reaches under a hook 22. The rotationcan then occur as far as the end stop 19. This results in the assemblyposition shown in FIG. 6.

In one sample embodiment of the invention, which is shown especially inFIG. 7, a seal is arranged between the compression chamber 7.1 and thevalve unit 8.1 in the region of the connection opening 16, being shapedlike a discus in this sample embodiment. Corresponding air openings 24are then configured as oblong holds. When compressed air is deliveredfrom the compression chamber 7.1, the edges of the disk-like seal 23 arelifted in particular.

In another sample embodiment of the seal between compression chamber 7.2and valve unit 8.2 according to FIGS. 9 to 12, the seal is designed as ashuttlecock. This shuttlecock seal 25 moves in a chamber 26 of the valveunit 8.2 from an opening position to a closed position depending onwhether air is being brought in from the compression chamber 7.2 orneeds to be drawn into the compression chamber 7.2.

The notion of the invention which is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 contributesto a further improvement. Here, the pipeline 9 downstream from theconnection 10 to the container for tire sealant is provided with aVenturi-type constriction 27. This Venturi-type constriction 27 has thepurpose of accelerating the air flow, which increases the partial vacuumin the pipeline 9, so that an increased suction of tire sealant from thecontainer occurs. In order to further improve this, the connection 10extends for a certain extent axially in trunk-like manner along thepipeline 9.

1. A device for delivering a medium by a compressor from a container toa tire, wherein the compressor can be connected by a pipeline to thetire and a connection to the container emerges into this pipeline,wherein the pipeline has a constriction upstream from the tire.
 2. Thedevice according to claim 1, wherein the constriction includes a Venturitube.
 3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the connection to thecontainer emerges into the pipeline upstream from the constriction andextends there axially in trunk-like fashion in a direction of theconstriction.
 4. A device for delivering a medium by means a compressorfrom a container to a tire, wherein a compression chamber of thecompressor can be connected by a pipeline to the tire and a connectionto the container emerges into this pipeline, wherein the pipeline andconnection are combined into a valve unit connected in bayonet fashionto the compression chamber.
 5. The device according to claim 4, whereinthe compression chamber has a top collar molded on the compressionchamber, the top collar having a locking device and with hook-likemoldings of the valve unit reaching underneath the locking device. 6.The device according to claim 4, wherein a connection opening betweenthe valve unit and the compression chamber is occupied by a seal.
 7. Thedevice according to claim 6, wherein the seal is a flexible,discus-shaped disk.
 8. The device according to claim 6, wherein the sealis configured as a shuttlecock.
 9. A compressor for delivering a mediumfrom a container to a tire, wherein a motor of the compressor iseccentrically connected via a power takeoff gear to a piston rod, movinga piston in a compression chamber, wherein the power takeoff gear has atransmission gear upstream from the power takeoff gear.
 10. Thecompressor according to claim 9, wherein the power takeoff gear includestwo half gears each with a toothing, wherein the toothing of one of thehalf gears extends across one radian measure and the toothing of anotherof the half gears extends across another radian measure.
 11. Thecompressor according to claim 10, wherein the radian measure is 180°.12. The compressor according to claim 9, wherein the transmission gearincludes two gears situated one on top of each other, interacting inalternation with one or the other half gear of the power takeoff gear.13. The compressor according to claim 12, wherein one of the gears ofthe transmission gear has a larger diameter than another one of thegears of the transmission gear.
 14. The device according to claim 1,wherein the medium is a tire sealant.
 15. The device according to claim2, wherein the connection to the container emerges into the pipelineupstream from the constriction and extends there axially in trunk-likefashion in a direction of the constriction.
 16. The device according toclaim 4, wherein the medium is a tire sealant.
 17. The device accordingto claim 4, wherein a connection opening between the valve unit and thecompression chamber is occupied by a seal.
 18. The compressor accordingto claim 9, wherein the medium is a tire sealant.
 19. The compressoraccording to claim 11, wherein the transmission gear includes two gearssituated one on top of each other, interacting in alternation with oneor the other half gear of the power takeoff gear.